Taiga Project Photos

Here are a few shots I took while I was working on the Taiga Project in Khuvsgul a few weeks ago.

The Taiga Project is a community focused summer camp organized by PCVs and the Dukha community in the Taiga region of Khuvsgul province. My group of about seven PCVs will be spending our week in the East Taiga working with HCNs on health behavior change, youth leadership, and community empowerment. The Dukha community is the smallest ethnic group in Mongolia, consisting of about 200 people. These families make their living herding reindeer and selling goods to the tourists who come up each summer.

This is a strange dog.

Playing Lamb and Wolf.

Morning stretches

English lesson on clothes and colors.

Talking about what makes a good leader.

A curious dog interrupting our lesson.

Building a birds nest.

The results!

Solar charging our electronics.

Boat building and racing.

Rainy day coloring.

One of the student portraits.

Shooting Film In Mongolia

This past weekend I rolled down to Dornogovi aimag to checkout some monasteries with my coworkers. Knowing I’d come across some good photo ops, I tossed a few rolls in my pack and grabbed my M6. Since picking it up back in January, I’ve moved away from shooting my M9 and have been working more with film. Thanks to my dear friend Sandra, I had  been able to load up on some stock that should last me through the summer until my trip to Korea.

Prior to service, I only wanted to bring film to Mongolia. My hesitation was knowing whether or not I’d have the resources to get my shots developed and scanned. Plus, knowing I’d be doing some traveling outside of Peace Corps, I was paranoid about my film getting trashed by x-rays all over Asia.

When looking for info on film labs in UB, I came across an analog shooter from Mongolia, Ebb, who’s currently studying in NY. He gave me the skinny on a place called PhotoMan that still sells, scans, and develops film. Thanks to Ebb, I’ve been able to shoot my M6 without a worry.

But why shoot film in the first place? Isn’t it an outdated medium? Why bother with film when the advantages of digital seem endless?

When trying to shoot film.

The answer, for me anyways, is simple: Shooting digital photos doesn’t compare to working with the physical material of the medium. In most cases, I’d say the same would be true of any other art form. I’m sure there are plenty of sculptors who would love to work in VR, for example, but I’d bet there’d still be people who want the real thing.

The best thing about shooting film is sharing my negatives with my students. I grew up on disposable cameras, but nowadays, drug store film has been replaced with camera phones and preset filters. When my students look at film negatives, it’s like they’re seeing something magic. Film just isn’t something they can wrap their heads around, and it’s given me an idea for a possible secondary project next year (more on that later).

With my summer full of exciting stuff (Arkhangai, Taiga Project, Korea, etc.) I’m stoked that I can capture these moments on film.

But really.

Grab the Bull by the…What Now?

Since it’s been so long since my last post, I figure I’d come back from my blogging hiatus with a good story.

The other week my CP wanted to take me to the countryside to visit some of his family. According to him, I needed more “countryside experience” with goats, herding, and the like. If only I could’ve known what this meant at the time.

We drove about 20 minutes outside my soum and stopped to meet my CP in-laws. We then walked over to a pen where a bunch of cows and bulls were restlessly trying to mate with each other. Might as well get one last chance before it’s too late, right?

My CP then says, “We only need one bull, so we will…uh, how say you?” and then proceeded to point over at one of the bulls. I tried to look at what he was talking about but was drawing a blank. He then hops the fence, walks over to one of the bulls, and reaches down between its back legs. Curiously, my CP asks, “What is this?” Ah, of course, those would be testicles.

As it turns out, we’d be castrating seven or so bulls, and I’d get to help wrangle them in. The whole thing consisted of roping a bull by its horns, wrestling them to the ground, and then wrapping your rope around his legs and snout. We’d then rub a tar-like substance on their necks and proceed to remove of the family jewels. We then kept our prizes in a bowl for later.

I’ve eaten some seriously weird things since coming here (goat head, horse intestines, sheep’s eye, and questionable substances out of antifreeze containers), and I’m almost always up to trying something at least once, but Rocky Mountain Oysters in Mongolia definitely takes the cake. As you might have guessed, it wasn’t really my thing.

Khutul On Film: Trainees As Film Cameras

Over IST, I had the pleasure of reuniting with all the trainees from Khutul again. These were the folks I spent the three months of PST with and they’ve become some of my closest friends. Seeing everyone again gave me the idea to re-imagine everyone as film cameras, and seeing as how I fancy myself a photographer, cameras are ~50% of what I spend my time thinking about anyway.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

Alex, Holga 120N: Alex’s natural speaking voice is actually just a laugh. Alex is either making you laugh or laughing herself. Her sense of humor gives her a knack for storytelling and after hanging out with her your bound to have a few of your own. The Holga is a quirky little camera with a lot of personality. Due to it’s 60mm plastic meniscus lens, its images often feature a lot of dramatic vignetting, blurs, and light leaks giving them a unique look. Although production of these cameras recently stopped, the Holga continues to live on as a cult favorite loved by many photographers.

Amanda, Yashica-Mat 124: “Hey, I’m walkin’ here!” As you may have guessed, Amanda hails from the great state of NY. Man, do they have great bagels there. I know this because she was sure to mention it 934 times exactly during PST. On a more serious note, Amanda is one of the most resilient and tough people I know. She has a laugh that can fill a room and that’s how you know the party has started. She’s a great and loyal friend that’ll always have your back.

The distinctive styling Amanda’s NY personality is one only to be matched by a TLR (twins lens reflex) camera. One lens is used for framing while the other actually takes the photo. Like all TLR cameras, the Yashica has a matte screen on top of the camera which you look down into to frame your image. The classic black look with its iconic chrome elements make this a timeless camera.

Ashleigh, Pentax K-1000: If you were ever having a stressful day Ashleigh was sure to give you a hug or massage. This trend became so popular that massages became a regular thing in Khutul and came to surprise some of our cross-cultural trainers. Ashleigh is very kindhearted and looked after everyone at site. She did, however, notice that every animal I touched seemed to died. She wasn’t wrong.

When I was a photo major at Carroll U this was the camera I shot with. Ironically, this camera was labeled the “students camera” since they were so popular among…well, photo students. The K-1000 had one of the longest lifespans I know of, being produced from 1976 until 1997. Something that makes Pentax lenses interesting is their unusual choice in focal lengths such as 31mm, 43mm, and 71mm.

Brain, Canon AE-1: To me, Brain was often the glue that held Khutul together. Not that people didn’t get along, but Brian has one of the most positive personalities you’ll ever encounter and that brought people together. As a practice teaching partner, he was super easy to work with, and I’d imagine many other people would share that same sentiment. If you’re ever feeling down, listening to Brian’s stories would probably change that. He did witness his host family communicating with the dead, after all. Also, he apparently doesn’t know how to brush his teeth, either.

The Canon AE-1 is one of the most popular consumer SLR cameras of all time. Hell, I have 3 of them back in the States and it was the first film camera I ever shot on. Rolled out in 1976, the AE-1 was one of the first affordable cameras to feature TTL metering with auto-exposure functions. The cameras popularity was a result of its accessibility, both economically and technically, and its overall value.

Elisha, FED 5: Elisha and I bonded over our mutual love of snacks. Specifically, her love of my snacks. Whether we were dancing to the Spice Girls or buying meat out the the back of a van in the summer heat, we always had a good time. Fun fact: We also co-directed a short film together during one of our technical sessions. Somewhere Elisha is laughing.

The FED series of rangefinders is Russia’s version of the Leica M. Known for being virtually indestructible, these cameras will probably outlast humanity and still be around after whatever apocalyptic event consumes humanity (climate change). These cameras are fully mechanical but still have light meters built into them. The FED 5’s meter has a solar sensor that uses the available light to power itself. Neat stuff.

Eric, Olympus OM-1: Eric is the married man of Khutul group (Update: He also won an ethics award in college). He was also the only person to live on the east side of our training site. Eric fancies himself a man of politics, good drink, Catan, and maybe even some D&D if other PCV’s would get their act together. Eric is a hospitable man who, along with his host family, was kind enough to host us several times for get togethers among PCT’s throughout PST. His wife, Emily, is a lovely women and the pair make for great company and drinking companions.

What drew me to this camera for Eric was an interesting story about the camera itself. He seems like the sort of guy that would appreciate it. When the OM-1 was initially released in 1972, it was named the “M-1.” Soon after, a complaint from Leica forced Olympus to renamed the camera to the “OM-1” as “M-1” was too close to that of Leica’s iconic line of rangefinders. Those early models dubbed with the “M” logo are now extremely sought after by collectors.

Jenni, Nikon F3HP: Jenni is about as Type-A as they come – she brought an Excel spreadsheet with us on vacation for God’s sake. However, this fact only reinforces one thing: she gets shit done. Jenni is one of the most professional people I’ve worked and has razor-sharp intelligence. She’s always keen to the details and eats up information like she does kimchi. Don’t let her Type-A facade fool you though, she’s extremely introspective which always makes for great conversation.

The Nikon F3 is a classic camera. Utilitarian in it’s functions, the F3 was the go-to professional SLR of the 1980’s. It’s known for it’s durability and high level of performance which helped it stay in production even after the release of the F4 and F5. To boot, this beauty was an Italian designed camera by the genius auto designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro. You know, the guy who designed the Delorean. The F3HP (high point) even sports a taller viewfinder making it easier for people with glasses to use.

Logan, Pentax 6×7: Logan’s a big and solid dude with a personality to match. You always knew Logan was in the room when you’d hear a joke about someone getting poisoned. What I loved most about Logan is his ability to given people a hard time. When I first met him, I was fairly quiet to which he commented, “Gosh, Ian, why don’t you just shut up?” I had only known him for 5 minutes. It was great.

The 6×7 is a beast of a camera (it weighs 4 lbs) with a hell of a shutter slap (the sound the mirror makes when flipping up and down to take a photo). Discreet really isn’t a word you’d use to describe this camera. Like Logan, it has a hint of the classics with a fancy wooden handle. And for the money, I’d say it’s one of the best film cameras you can get for under $1000.

Matt, SRT-102: Matt is extremely laid back and chill. Think of him as an air bender from the “Avatar” series. He has an understated personality that when coupled with his calm disposition, gives him the demeanor of a wise old clump of sage. He has a broad range of interests such as archaeology, astrology, history, and most notably, Star Wars. This is obviously why Matt and I are such good friends.

The SRT-102 was a camera of simple design and function. While it isn’t a flashy camera, it has a lot of subtle functions one could miss if you weren’t looking. The 102 has a simple trick for taking multiple exposure photos. The camera allows you to press the film rewind while still being able to release the shutter without actually having to advance your film.

Nik, Polaroid 600: You never know what you’re going to get with instant film; the same can be said for king of slime time, Nik.

At Soup Bar ordering our food –

Nik: I’d like a large coffee.
Waitress: We don’t do our drinks by size. Only single shot or double shot. Which would you like?
Nik: Oh. (Long pause) Sugar. (Blink)

From psychological warfare to shirts with vikings on them, Nik is quite the personality.

Oliva, Bessa R2M: One of the things I like most about Olivia is that if she see’s something she wants, she gets it. I like and respect someone who is willing to get what they want without constantly second guessing themselves. Olivia’s elegant sense of style is probably why I don’t think I have a single bad picture of her. Well, that isn’t entirely true, haha. She’s smart as a whip and I always love having one-on-one convos with her.

The R2M is apart of a long series of Voigtlander rangefinders featuring an M mount for its lenses. This of course means it can fashion many of the famous Leica lenses. Unlike other rangefinders, the frame line selector lever is located on top of the camera and even has a built in hand grip. A fantastic and beautiful little camera.

Paul, Fujifilm GF670: The grandpa of the group, we once tried to describe Paul as “ancient” when using adjectives in Mongolian. I mean, come on, the guy wears suspenders, a flat cap, and his wardrobe has the same color pallet as a 70’s motel. Surprisingly, Paul is anything but, and I think this picture captures my point.

The GF670 resembles a fold out camera from a different age, but, in fact, was just released in 2008. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. Did I mention it’s bomb, too? Hell yeah!

Renee, Contax S2: Renee speaks very quickly and likes to talk with her hands (understatement). This makes her quite expressive at times. She’s an amazing writer (read her blog) and this is likely spurred on by her introverted nature. Renee loves her time alone with a book or music – which is something I can definitely relate with. She might tire of groups quickly but she’s always a joy to have around.

The S2 is a small, lightweight, mechanical camera that can meet the needs of any user. You also don’t find many cameras that come paired with Zeiss glass (Zeiss makes really good lenses if you’re wondering). This camera has been “rediscovered” so to speak in recent years and prices have started to go up. This isn’t a surprise because, let’s face it, Contax makes some damn good cameras. This one was ahead of its time.

What Peace Corps Service Is Really Like Pt. II

New post coming soon.

Redefining Your Peace Corps Service

A question PCV’s often ask themselves is “Why am I here?” This may seem strange considering you might think one would have thought fairly extensively about the decision to move to the other side of the world. However, the challenges we face upon starting our service are almost never what we expected them to be. Whether it be socially or professionally, you’re guaranteed to run into obstacles which make you look at your service in a new light. In the face of all the chaos which being here entails, you’re forced to find a purpose to it all and if you can’t…well, we won’t talk about it.

Our goal as PCVs is professional development through the capacity building of HCNs (host country nationals). There’s more to the job than this but it doesn’t get focused on nearly as much. This is likely due to cultural and social exchange happening fairly naturally by just being around HCNs. At work we’re told to expand upon the positive frameworks we see and provide whatever support we can in the form of knowledge, resources, or otherwise. Often however, this process is extremely difficult, if possible at all. Since so much emphasis is placed on our primary projects and we’re expected to obtain some form of measurable results from these projects, it’s easy to lose sight on the actual impact our service has on others.

The reality is that a lot of what a PCV accomplishes can’t be put into charts or spreadsheets which show our government’s ROI per volunteer. Sometimes (most of the time) the work we do happens on such a small and personal scale we as volunteers will never see the outcomes we’ve helped create. Sure, I can tell I have some level of influence over my students and coworkers. I have a feeling the whole fist bump finger wiggle greeting wasn’t commonplace at my school until I showed up, but overall I simply don’t know what lasting impact or impression I’ll leave on everyone.

The important and often most difficult thing to acknowledge is that these effects actually occur. Even just showing up, acting friendly, and expressing you care is enough to influence your community in a positive way. I will not revolutionize the way my coworkers teach but might motivate a student to pursue their education further than they would have otherwise. I will not improve all my students English but may serve as a positive role model for someone in my community. I will not be able to change my HCA’s approach to time management but I’ll undoubtedly create memorable stories, experiences, and friendships which will last a lifetime. And while I acknowledge my site could achieve these things without me, if I can play a small role in supporting my community, I’ll have been honored to do so.

Being here isn’t easy. In fact, it’s far more difficult than I thought it’d be. With perspective on your service being hard to gain, it’s important to revel in the everyday and seemingly ordinary because someday it won’t be. More than ever I’ve become more cognizant of the need to remain in the present and not let the more “grandiose” aspects of Peace Corps service subtract from the overall experience.

Obi Wan: “But Master Yoda said I should be mindful of the future.” Qui Gon:“But not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living force, my young padawan.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself, Ginny.

I’ll leave you now with a final quote I think sums up the Peace Corps experience pretty well, and come on, this blog wouldn’t be complete without both “Star Wars” and “Avatar” references, so here you go:

Uncle Iroh: “Sometimes life is life this dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving, you will come to a better place.”

Although we don’t always know what we’re doing, or why we are here, the important thing is that we are.

I’ll be heading to Japan soon with Jenni and will be shooting a lot of film. I’ll also get to see the new “Star Wars” movie and am stoked. Now for some IST and Shin Jill photos which have been sitting on my computer. Happy 2016, everyone.

Beatles statue in UB.

The State Department Store all light up for the holidays.

Jenni.

Nik, the master of psychological warfare.

Logan.

The party closet.

First night of IST with Matt and Jenni.

Celebrating produce.

Back in the States, Jenni was a fencer. There’s a fencing club in UB, so I tagged along one night to watch.

Mongol face tequila sunrise.

Olivia, Brian, and Noah.

Photos with the new US ambassador to Mongolia.

Lee Cole Cards.

Brian and Noah.

Jenni, Alex, and Pow.

Sister Amanda, sharing her sacred experience with the great Lee Cole.

View from the front of our hotel.

Mikey.

Peace Corps seminars are serious business.

Udval, haha.

IST wouldn’t be complete without a selfie.

Dorm students Shin Jill party.

My schools Shin Jill party.

IST

*In-Service Training

As I sit in the lobby of the Park Hotel, I’m left to reflect on this past whirlwind of a week. I’m the only volunteer still here and have no idea when I’ll actually be heading back to site. Such is the life of a PCV.

This was my first time seeing many of the other volunteers in the past four months. Jenni said it was like coming back from summer vacation and seeing all your old school friends again. To be honest, the entire week I was swelling with mixed feelings about being surrounded by Americans again. One of the M25 trainers, Tyler, mentioned what he calls “soum anxiety”, which is the feeling of being overwhelmed by the presence of so many Americans again. I’m not sure if it was that or something else but this week was difficult for me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved seeing everyone but sorting through all those emotions will take time.

Your relationship with other PCV’s is strange. You spend three months growing extremely close with this group of random people only to be shipped off all over the country. You might only see some of those people 2-3 more times over the next 2 years and yet they’re still your best friends. Hell, you might never even talk to them while at site but there’s still this unspoken understanding of one another. It’s hard to put into words.

What was nice was how productive this week was for my counterpart and me. Although she’s a bit shy, she really got into the sessions and seemed to learn a lot. This week definitely broadened both her and I’s professional horizons. I’m excited to see how it all translates back at site. It seems that CP’s and HCA’s see Peace Corps as this distant entity they don’t really interact with or know much about. I think this training helped in making Peace Corps the agency seem more real to them.

As Mikey and I were packing up our stuff this morning we had our classic jam session which has become tradition since staging. Mikey put on “What A Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers and I turned to him and said, “If we ever had a movie together this would be the song they’d play over the end credits.” He laughed. When I was rooming with Mikey for the first time during staging he asked me, “Do you like The Doobie Brothers?” to which I, of course, answered yes. For some reason that moment felt like the true beginning of my Peace Corps experience. Not just because it was the actual first day we all arrived in San Francisco but more because it marked the first connection with a friend in my cohort. The rest is history and that song has grown to become my favorite of all time.

Although this post was unorganized and disjointed, and wasn’t all that much about IST, it hopefully gave some insights into what it feels like to be me right now.

Rock the Casbah

One of the greatest challenges of being a PCV is getting your bearings in a new culture. Before arriving in country, I thought I’d handle the process of integration well and without major incident, but after being here for over six months it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Currently, time management has been a big hang-up for me. On Monday I was supposed to teach an English class to my coworkers at 2. When I got to the school it was completely empty and no one ended up showing up for the lesson. I eventually went home and wasn’t all that surprised as these things happen frequently. The following day I was asked by my counterpart if I had taught my lesson the day before to which I told him I hadn’t. When asked why, I explained no one had showed up. My next lesson was slated for Wednesday and I figured since everyone had missed the previous lesson, people would be a bit more sensitive about showing up this time. Each lesson is 40 minutes and begins at 2 PM. At 3:30 as I was walking home, I could see teachers starting to roll into the school one-by-one. They all looked confused as to why I wasn’t getting ready to teach. I explained to them our lesson started at 2 and it was now nearly 4. I could tell by the looks on their faces they didn’t understand. I reassured them it was okay but reminded them to please try to be on time for our next lesson.

Now, sure, I could have gone back to school and taught my lesson even though people showed up late. I didn’t have anything else to do and was going home to make grilled cheese sandwiches. During PST we did an activity where we were presented with different scenarios and had to choose whether or not we felt they were worth fighting for. The point being you had to choose your battles carefully and in this instance I had decided to stand my ground. Here’s an excerpt from my friend Jenni’s blog which helps illustrate my point:

“More than anything, this week has been about deciding what matters and what doesn’t. In American workplaces, it’s all about that Outlook/Google calendar, cancelling or rescheduling appointments with notice, and sharing agendas before meetings begin. We operate on timelines, deadlines, check-ins, and follow-ups.  Through college and the few years I worked/interned in D.C., I learned that this was the way things got done.”

And she’s right. As Americans, we plan our days with emails and color coded schedules – it’s how we get things done. That said, if we’re to truly make progress as individuals and with our community, PCVs need to develop habits which work for both Mongolians and volunteers. By that, I mean PCVs must be willing to set aside their predisposed notions of how work should be done. It’s our responsibility to offer flexibility and approaches to challenges which work for our HCAs and HCNs. This is point in which I still need to grow.

My biggest frustration has been personal space and privacy. In Mongolia, if something isn’t put away and locked up it’s fair to others. I’ve had people open up every drawer and cabinet in my ger, sift through the food in my fridge, and even start rearranging my furniture all without saying a word. At school teachers will pick up my camera or laptop without asking to use them without a thought. I’ve had random people on the street pull out my headphones to try and talk at me. I’ve had students reach over me and across my desk to try and grab some chips I’ve had. The list goes on.

I can’t lie, these are things I have a very hard time dealing with, and especially so when people come into a space I would normally view as “mine.” Like everything else, it’s an adjustment and growth which will take time. I usually try to take these moments as opportunities to explain how I feel with others but it’s hard to tell what sticks.

Anyways, I do need to brag about my students for a second – two in particular. Last week I didn’t have class with my 5th graders because for one I was alone and the other was cancelled. When we came back for class this Tuesday, two of my students showed me homework they had made up themselves and wanted me to check. I was blown away. Students don’t start learning English here until 5th grade and these two girls were already trying so hard. I mean, look at these notebooks!

They did this all on their own and I truly can’t find the words to express how proud I am. They even made color coordinated flash cards which I unfortunately forgot to take pictures of. These girls are the future of this country.

Номинэрдэнэ (Nome-ing-ear-dun) and Номиндарь (Nome-ing-dare). My two favorite students!

On an unrelated note, I had my leave request approved by Peace Corps, and I’ll be heading to Japan with fellow volunteers Jenni and Sandra in January. We’ll be skiing the days away and eating a lot of good food. I couldn’t be more excited. I hope everyone is doing well back home and hope you have a great day.

I don’t mind when this lady uses my camera.

My favorite table.

Some of my coworkers with out soums flag.

Why I Joined the Peace Corps

A question I was asked often before leaving for Mongolia was “Why Peace Corps?” Over the years before joining, I gave all of the cliche responses from wanting to experience a new culture, to make the world a better place, and wander off on some great once in a life time adventure. Not to say these aren’t worthy reasons, but I soon realized they didn’t really capture my true motivations for joining. After months of thought, the answer became clear and was embarrassingly simple: It’s what would make me happy.

I come from the school of thought wear I need to look out for myself first and make decisions which will ultimately lead to my own happiness. While this may come off as selfish, hear me out. If I would have stayed at home and picked up some entry level job with my college degree, I can almost promise you I’d have been miserable. I wouldn’t be doing anyone any favors by making that kind of choice. I’ve always believed that if I take care of myself, ensuring that I’m happy and feeling reasonably fulfilled, I’d put myself in a better place to help do the same for others.

I had wanted to become a PCV since 2010 when my good friend, Sarah, set off for her own Peace Corps journey in Mongolia (You can read the blog from her service here, and I highly recommend you do, because, come one, you know you love Dumb and Dumber jokes just as much as I do http://mongolia820.blogspot.com/). I had met her back in 2007 on my first Mission Trip with my church to Mississippi to help rebuild homes for hurricane Katrina victims. After following her blog, I was hooked on the idea of being a PCV and coming to Mongolia. Although I didn’t tell her until well after her service, her friendship and guidance played a big role in shaping me into who I am today.

Thus far, the experience has yet to disappoint, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision to be here. It has been a long road but worth the wait indeed. I feel fortunate knowing that I wake up every morning glad to be doing what I’m doing.

Not creative enough to come up with a title

Now that I’ve been at site for over three months things are a starting to settle down. I have daily routines set out, I’m not surprised by the craziness of day-to-day life in Mongolia, and the novelty of being “the foreigner” has started wane. While it sucks to have the initial rush of getting to site start to dwindle, it is nice to have things slow down and have this place start to feel like home.

My desk at work. I sit across my the math teacher and my CP.

My 9th grade class wanted me to draw everyone. A very attractive bunch. 

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately with my hashaa family lately which I’ve enjoyed greatly. Evenings usually consist of my little sister, Zaya, dragging me around the house to play with Mission. Something I’m eternally grateful for is my families acceptance of Mission. Cats are seen as mean and bad luck which makes their enthusiasm about him pretty astonishing. At first, Zaya was terrified of Mission but now she won’t leave him alone. This is both good and bad as it’s obvious to me Mission sometimes needs a break from being carried around like a doll all the time. Nevertheless, I accomplished my goal of changing my hashaa families view on pets and cats at least somewhat.

My brother, dad, and sister.

Zaya.

Since my site visit things at work have really picked up. In addition to my normal work, I’m teaching an English class to all the teachers in my school three days a week, doing two English clubs on Wednesdays, speaking practice with my CP’s twice a week, and leaving methodology materials in the teachers room once a week. I was also made aware of all these new project on less than a days notice, which I can’t lie, was rather frustrating for my American brain.  “You will do English class for all school workers and English club lesson tomorrow.” Lovely. The lesson ended up going really well and all the teachers did a great job. Everyone seems really enthusiastic about learning English. I’m hoping to use my time teaching my coworkers as an opportunity to showcase different styles of teaching. The hope is, assuming all goes well, they’ll enjoy all the activities we do and want to learn how to do them for their own classes.

My Thanksgiving was extremely uneventful. Plans in our aimag never really developed so it looked like I’d be alone for the holiday. I had tried to talk with my CP’s about the it but no one really took any interest in it. They did ask if I celebrated on my own to which I just shrugged and said, “No, not really.” I ended up just laying in bed with some hot chocolate and my cat which was good enough for me. I definitely missed everyone at home and was fortunate enough to talk with them during their Thanksgiving dinner.

Then on Friday there was a student concert which featured dancing, singing, poetry, and performances on traditional Mongolian instruments. I was originally told the concert would take place on Saturday at 3. On Friday one of my CP’s told me part of the concert was starting today and I should go take some photos. I got to see my favorite class, my 5th graders, do some snazzy dances and songs. Afterwards I just went home and ended up doing a puzzle with my hashaa dad for 2 hours. Later I stopped by the cultural center again only to find out the entire show was today. I ended up missing most of it which stunk but got to see a lot of my students again which was nice.

Look at that outfit!

My 5th graders.

This looked like a very Russian dance.

Shiny pants.

Beyonces in training.

My brother playing the morin khuur or horsehead fiddle.

Now I’m gearing up for a late Thanksgiving next weekend with some the other Khentii volunteers and IST the week after. IST will be filled with fancy dinners, friends, and most importantly, hot showers. Star Wars will also be in theaters here starting Christmas day, so I’ll need to make plans to head back to UB so I can see it. Hope everyone’s Thanksgiving back home was a good one.

Mission enjoying his care package bed by the fire.

And remember, folks.

PS – I’m working on a collaborative blog post with another volunteer which will hopefully be done soon. What I mean by that is Jenni’s done a lot of work on the post and I’ve been slacking. Now she can officially hold me accountable to get this done.